Success in fishing is highly dependent upon the equipment and tackle an angler uses. Thus, innovations in equipment and tackle remain constant in order to shift the success in fishing in favor of the angler. Innovations in tackle, however, especially capture the attention of anglers. A lure that accurately simulates the appearance and actions of fish bait are virtually guaranteed success. One type of lure intended to simulate the appearance and actions of a fish is the spinning lure.
The problems associated with spinning lures originate from the rotation of the lure. When a spinning lure is rotated through water, the action of rotation is not confined to the lure alone. This action is also transposed onto the fishing line. This transportation phenomenon is called line twist. Line twist plagues anglers because of the potentially damaging effects that result to the angler's equipment. In particular, spinning reels which hold the line, and the line itself, are common casualties of line twist. The amount of twist introduced into the line generally increases with each cast of a spinning lure. As the twisted line is repeatedly rewound onto the spinning reel by repeated casts of the spinning lure, the twisted line will eventually unravel from the reel rendering the reel temporarily inoperable. To correct this problem, the unraveled and twisted line is typically cut from the spool and discarded.
Numerous prior art devices have tried to resolve the problem of line twist. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,277, Kelly discloses a lure that is designed specifically to remove the twist that pre-exists in the fishing line. In this design, fins are attached to the lure to impart a controlled spin in the opposite direction as the line twist. The lure is additionally designed to catch fish. Thus, with every cast of the lure, the angler is able to remove the line twist and fish at the same time. This design, however, makes determining the precise amount of correction needed difficult. Conceivably, one excess cast of the lure would result in an over-correction, once again causing line twist.
Most prior art devices, however, are designed to resist the twisting of the line as the result of the motion or movements of the lure through the water. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,245,781, Helmuth discloses a lure having a helical shaped spinner body mounted on a wire lanyard. The helical spinner body is disposed on the lanyard through openings within the helical spinner body. Helmuth teaches that because the helical spinner body is not directly attached to the lanyard, the rotation of the lure through the water will not be transposed to the fishing line. This design, however, does not take into consideration fluid dynamics and friction. If the spinning lure is retrieved at a reasonable speed, the rotational friction exerted upon the lanyard will be enormous. As a result, the lanyard will indeed rotate causing line twist.
Another device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,501,087 to Blomquist positions an additional element onto the lure specifically designed to prevent line twist. Blomquist discloses a lure having a swivel element which when acted upon by water, resists rotation. The impedance of the lure's rotation subsequently prevents twisting in the fishing line. The dilemma associated with fluid dynamics and friction apply to this design as well.